Degradation Behaviors of Biodegradable Aliphatic Polyesters and Polycarbonates

Aliphatic polyesters and polycarbonates such as polylactide (PLA), polycaprolactone (PCL) and poly(propylene carbonate) (PPC), are well known as biodegradable, biocompatible and environmental-friendly polymeric materials, which have been widely used in various areas ranging from packaging to biomedical materials. The production and usage of biodegradable plastics can greatly alleviate the safety and environmental concerns because of the fairly short degradation periods and low toxicity of catabolite. During the degradation process of polymers, obvious changes appear in polymer structures and the physiochemical properties. Therefore, it is necessary to regulate and control the degradation behaviors and periods of biodegradable plastics such as polyesters and polycarbonates, which is significant for their more widespread popularization and applications. In this context, it is highly desirable to make a review contribution in this field so as to better understand the recent research progress on polymer degradation behaviors and kinetics, as well as the future prospect of biodegradable polymers. Herein, this paper reviews the research progress on the degradation behaviors of biodegradable polyesters and polycarbonates materials including PLA, PCL and PPC. Through an in-depth study of various internal/external factors, the degradation mechanism of these polymers is unraveled, which will motivate future studies into the synthesis of novel biodegradable polymers and the understanding of their degradation behavior on the molecular level.